A New Experience
Tamang Heritage Trail
The new Tamang Heritage Trail, offers a peak at the Himalayan life-style and culture. The Trail takes you to verdant midlands of Nepal experiencing the beauty of the mountain region and the culture of the people who life here. The trail passes through traditional Tamang villages where life, culture, crafts have remained unchanged since the beginning of the settlement. Warm traditional welcome hosted bye the locals, there elaborate costumes, rich architecture of their mountain houses, and the ancient monasteries and places of prayer add color to the experience of this trail. In addition to cultural experience, the trek also offers wilderness experience through beautiful landscapes of alpine terrain, flat meadows, and rhododendron forests.
The trail starts either from Dhunche or Syabrubesi and passes through Goljung, Gatlang, chilime, Thuman, Timure and Briddim. The trail may end back in Syabrubesi of follow the Langtang trek from Briddim village via Khamjim. Goljung has an ancient monastery. From the view point at Bahundanda near by one can see a panopamice view of Langtang, Kerung, and the Ganesh Himal, Sanjen Himal ranges. Gatlang set high one a hillside among terraced fields is a Tamang settlement. One can visit a Tamang monastery and the beautiful Parvatikunda Lake at Gatlang. Bathing in the hot, healing waters of the natural spring at Tatopani en route from Gatlang to chilime is an exhilarating experience. Brimdang offers cultural experience at community-run home-stay, while Nagthali in Thuman VDC is surrounded bye beautiful views of Himalayan ranges.
The panoramic view of Langtang, Kerung, Ganesh Himal, Sanjen ranges can be distinctly experienced from negthali. Interested visitors can stay one more night at Nagthali at the newly developed hotel lodge. Nagthali used to be a popular neditation centrer for the local monks and priests.
Next cultural village after Nagthali is Thuman. Thuman is popular for its Shamanic performances and beautiful view of Langtang. Beautiful view of the mountain can be seen from every house Thuman.
Next is Timure on the old trade route to Tibet. A fort at Rasuwagadi in Timure is a historical reminder of the Nepal- Tibet relations that has existed for many senturies. A suspension bridge here links Nepal and Tibet.
Briddim offers warm Tamang hospitality at the home- stays run bye community members.
Home-stay at Briddim
Briddim (2,229 m) is a small and beautiful Tamang village. It offers Himalayan cultural experience in the from of accommodation. Here visitors are accommodated as house guests and are able to have first-hand experience of the age-old culture and hospitality of the Tamang community. The accommodation and tourism package is managed bye home-stay Tourism Management Committee in the village. Briddim home –stay was awarded 2nd Mountain Development Prize at the International Mountain Day programme held in Kathmandu in December 2005.
People & culture
The inhabitants of the Langtang Valley are thought to be descendants of Tibetans from Kerung who intermingled with Tamangs from the Helambu area. The inhabitants of Briddim, Thuman, Timure and Langtang are of the Tamang ethnic group but a markedinfluence of Tibetan culture and tradition noticed in their lifestyle closely resembling that of most Tibetan villages. They are mainly sheep and yak herders, but grow some hardly grains and vegetables. The dally life of the villagers in cludes raising livestock, agriculture, and trade with Kerung in Tibet. Wheat, maize, potato, soyabean, and millet are their staple food.
In addition, visitor can also observe Syabru dance, Khampa dance, Shaman performance see and other colorful performances during major festivals like Lhosar (February), Chhiju (December),Baisakh Purnima (April-May) and as per visitors’request.
Hot Springs
At Tatopani which literally means “hot water’, you can cleanse yourself srpiritually in natural hot springs with bathing areas in the lap of the mountains. Locals believe that the waters have a healing quality that ease away your aches and pains.
Natural Experience
The trail is equally pleasure for natural experiences. The unique landscape around Goljung Bhanjyanj, Thuman and Brimdang. Pristine forest between Tatopani-Nagthali-Thuman and kaleidoscopic view of the Langtang mountains, Sanjen range, Ganesh Himal, Kerung and Gosaikunda range alone the way give a whole experience of Himalayan landscapes and vegetation.
Other Experience
Langtang National Park
The Langtang Valley was declared a national park in 1976 and remains the second largest in Nepal covering approximately 1,710 sq.km Stretching up to the Tibetan border, it has a high level of biodiversity uincluding 15 forest types, 3,000 species of flowering plants like oaks, fir, blue pine, spruce, and more than 10 species of rhododendron. The Park is also rich area for medicinal plants. Extensive forest and varied vegetation types provide a habitat for approximately 46 species of mammals and 283 apecies of birds, in including musk deer, snow leopards, red panda, wild dog, Himalayan black dear and the clouded leopard.
Gosainkunda Trek
An additional 4-5 days trek to holy Gosainkunda Lake (4,300m.) can be either from Rimiche, Saybrubesi or Dhunche. The trek offers perfect combination of natural and cultural heritage. Gosaikunda is a sacred lake for both Hindus and Buddhists. About 25 to 30 thousand pilgrim visit this area during Janai purnima festival which falls during the full moon time in August.
Further Afield
Visitors can extend their stay in Langtang to trek to Kyangjin and explore the upper valley to Langshisa and beyond. Tilman’s Col,a difficult crossing named after H.W.T Tilman the first Westerner to visit Langtang in 1949, lead east toward Panch Pokhari. Ganja La pass (5,120m.) often covered by snow and clouds south to Helambu and the Kathmandu valley.
Getting Services
Langtang region predominantly lies in Rasuwa district of Bagmati zone. A 6 to 7-hour drive from Kathmandu to Dhunche in Rasuwa district is the convenient approach to Langtang. The Langtang National Park is also accessible from Sundarijal toward the east of Kathmandu and Melamchi Pul (bridge), about 3-hour drive from Kathmandu.
Tourist Services
A community lodge offers accommodation at Gatlang. Packaged facilities of home-stay offer accommodation at Briddim. Normal hotek lodge and individual home-stay are available in the remaining villages where meals are also offered with accommodation. Cooked with special attention on food safety, the simply yet nutritious meals are an adventure for the palate. Trained guides and porters are also available in the villages.
Suggested Itinerary to Tamang Heritage Trail (8-10 Days)
Day 1: Kathmandu-Dhunche-Syabru Drive: Kathmandu-Rasuwa via Trisuli, Nuwakot (7-8hrs) Overnight Syabru (Hotel)
Days 2: Syabru-Goljung-Gatlang Drive/Trek: Syabru-Goljung-Gatlang (4hrs.) Overnight Gatlang (Community lodge)
Days 3: Gatlang-Tatopani Trek: Tatopani (5-6 hrs.) Hot bath in natural spring of Tatopani. Overnight: Tatopani lodge
Days 4: Tatopani-Nagthali-Thuman Trek: Tatopani-Nagthali via Brindang (5hrs) Overnight: Thuman (home stay)
Days 5: Thuman-Timure-Rasuwagadhi-Timure Trek: Thuman to Timure and visit nearby historical fort at Tibetain broder (5hrs.) Timure (lodges)
Days 6: Timure-Briddim Trek: timure-Briddim (6hrs) Observe local culture and home stay experience. Overnight: Briddim (home stay)
Days 7: Briddim- Khanmjim-Syabrubesi Trek: Briddim-Khamjim-Syabrubesi (5hrs.) Overnight: Syabru (Hotel, Lodge, Tea-shops)
Days 8: Syabrubesi-Dhunche-Kathamandu Drive: Dhunche-Kathmandu (7-8 hrs.) Overnight: Kathmandu
If you are interested on this tour, please drop us an email at sales@trailblazertrekking.com.
